Prior to the publication of Robert Hilburn’s A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY, The New York Times ran a Sunday feature about Randy Newman. Bob Mehr writes: “[Newman’s] movie songs are filled with memorable melodies; his own albums with unsavory characters. One of the most astute cultural observers is the subject of a new book…While Hilburn’s book functions as a conventional, often penetrating, biography, it’s ‘also a personal, critical argument on Randy’s behalf,’ Hilburn said in an interview. ‘It’s fine to enjoy ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me,’ but the greatness of Randy Newman, his real legacy, are all the brilliant songs he’s written about the shortcomings of the American character.’” Hachette Books published A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY on October 22, 2024.

BROTHERS by Alex Van Halen received fantastic writeups from Gary Graff of Billboard and Brian Hiatt of Rolling Stone. Graff writes: “Throughout BROTHERS’ 231 pages, Van Halen discloses the tight bond between him and Eddie, personally and musically – and presents the connection between those two as one and the same thing…The passion for music came early and was a constant, of course, and one can read in BROTHERS the kind of mission on Van Halen’s part to offer a more expansive and sophisticated view of his brother’s talents.” Harper published BROTHERS on October 22, 2024.

Alex Van Halen’s memoir, BROTHERS, was the subject of a fantastic New York Times piece. Richard Bienstock writes: “Why did [Alex] write [BROTHERS]? ‘To add a little more depth to the understanding of what Ed was all about…When you’re in the spotlight, people tend to speak for you. I wanted to remind people that Ed was not a commodity. He was a complex human being.’… BROTHERS is not a story of regret. It’s a tale of understanding, of acceptance, of love. Mostly, of humanness. ‘If you’re going to tell the story, you should give equal space to the good and the bad,’ Alex said. ‘Because the good doesn’t make any sense without having the bad.’” Harper will publish BROTHERS on October 22, 2024.

WILLIAM by Mason Coile has received fantastic press in the weeks leading up to its publication. For The Minnesota Star Tribune, Maren Longbella raves: “[M]emorable…The alternating short and shorter chapters keep the action tearing along, rather like cuts in a movie, as the temerity to meddle with existence undoes most of the characters...Is it the absence of something that creates the dissonance or is it the presence of something evil? By the end of WILLIAM you will have the answer. And then you'll want to read it again.” The book was featured on Reader’s Digest’s “61 Best Horror Books to Read in 2024,” Book Riot’s “10 Chilling New Horror Books Out September 2024,” and other must-read round-ups from Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Gizmodo. G.P. Putnam’s Sons will publish the novel on September 10, 2024.

SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS by Kailee Pedersen published to fantastic reviews this week. From Los Angeles Times, Heather Scott Partington writes: “Pedersen’s grisly tale joins many distinct threads together into a terrifying end. SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS is remarkable in its keen barbarism, the author’s blending of the ordinary violence of rural life with the gravity of a Chinese myth. Her characters live ‘only for the ferocious hunt, the glorious betrayal. The suffering of others is its own delicacy,’ she writes — ‘more pleasurable than that of even raw flesh.’” Meanwhile, a review in Paste Magazine calls SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS “a masterclass in measured horror storytelling” and an “astonishing feat, a horror debut that announces Pedersen as a major new talent in the genre and in fiction at large.” St. Martin’s Press and Titan Books (U.K.) published SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS on August 20, 2024.

PEARL by Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie enjoyed a very successful release this week. Parade featured the graphic novel on its list of “22 Best New Book Releases This Week: August 20-26, 2024,” along with the following praise: “Anyone who thinks comic books are just for kids can start right here.” More noteworthy features include Book Riot’s “New Releases and More,” WGBH’s “The big list of summer 2024 book recommendations from your local librarians,” Ebony’s round up of August books by Black authors, SLJ Teen Librarian Toolbox’s list of new titles, and Comic Crusader’s “What’s on the Shelf, August 21st—Independent Publishers” round up. Graphix published the book on August 20, 2024.

Cory Doctorow says, “In Fight Me, the novelist and game developer Austin Grossman uses aging ex-teen superheroes to weigh the legacy of Generation X, in a work that enrobes its savage critique with sweet melancholia, all under a coating of delicious snark…it’s a great novel.”
Michael Joseph published FIGHT ME on May 23, 2024 it was released in the US market July 2nd, 2024.

Julie Leong’s forthcoming debut THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES was a Spotlight Pick in Publishers Weekly’s e-blast featuring Berkley’s “Cozy Fall Reads.” It was also included on PW’s Fall 2024 Adult Preview: SF, Fantasy & Horror. Ace will publish the novel on November 5, 2024.

CHASING HOPE by Nicholas Kristof has received incredible praise surrounding its publication this month. A review from Publisher’s Weekly calls it an “impassioned memoir,” adding: “Kristof’s powerful reportage makes for a gripping look at both the craft of journalism and the humanitarian disasters he’s witnessed.” The book has been lauded in blurbs by various writers, including journalist Ann Curry, who praises as “delightful,” “inspiring,” “illuminating,” and “at times, hilarious.” Meanwhile, Katie Couric says that Kristof is “a journalistic exemplar, practicing the art of storytelling in its purest form,” and that CHASING HOPE “should be required reading for anyone interested in journalism, or for those who need to be reminded that, in the right hands, it can be a truly noble profession." Knopf published the book on May 14, 2024.

Bestselling author Austin Grossman’s new novel, FIGHT ME, received a fantastic review from Michael Joseph of the Bookbeard, who writes: “Whoever blurbed this book THE BREAKFAST CLUB meets the X-MEN nailed it. As Gen-X a book as they come, it’s an angst ridden, coming-of-age sci-fi, superhero mash up that’s as meandering as it is captivating. Smart, funny and heartfelt, FIGHT ME is an intriguing read… Fantastically crafted, capturing the spirit and mentality of Gen X with all the sarcasm and angst it brings, FIGHT ME is a wonderful, action packed superhero sci-fi adventure. Funny, fierce and engaging, it’s an amazing journey through a strange world full of very real humans (who are also super human). Truly exceptional.” Grossman will participate in the #YeahYouWrite Reading Series on June 3 at the Someday Bar in Brooklyn, alongside writers Abraham Chang, P. Djèlí Clark, and Carol LaHines. Michael Joseph published FIGHT ME on May 23, 2024.